


Intersection

by Sreya



Series: The Girl from the Coffee Shop [7]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AU - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Skyeward - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-07-28 12:43:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7640674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sreya/pseuds/Sreya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grant Ward and Leo Fitz are sent on their mission to disable the Overkill device. Skye finally has a chance to dig into SHIELD's main archives when Garrett's team comes to the Hub. The two teams finally cross paths.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a multi-parter with some significant developments in the Coffee Shop 'verse. Hold on!

Skye paced in the hold of the SHIELD quinjet resting in the Tunisian desert, twisting the rings on her right hand. Dumont and Perry sat near the door of the cockpit, playing a card game as they waited for their team to return.

“They should be here by now, shouldn’t they?” she asked. “I mean, when they last reported in they said they were on the way out.”

Dumont grunted. “It was an estimate, Skye. Cool your jets.”

“I’d rather fire them up and get out of here, thanks,” she snarked back. She saw Perry rolling his eyes at them and turned her back, shading her eyes as she looked out the open hatch across the bright desert sands. Something shimmered on the horizon, and she squinted to try and get a better look. It could just be a mirage… or…

“Here they come!” she cried. Dumont and Perry gathered their things and they all watched the incoming jeep as it screeched to a halt beside the jet. Garrett climbed out of the driver seat and came around to the passenger side as Trip unfolded from the back along with a man with a black bag over his head and his hands cuffed behind his back. She was about to run over and ask how everyone was when Garrett helped Monroe out of the front passenger seat. Monroe looked gray and was leaning heavily on Garrett’s shoulder, his hand pressed hard against left shoulder. She froze while Dumont and Perry rushed forward. Perry grasped Monroe’s other side to help stabilize him.

“Take the prisoner, Ed,” Garrett barked, jerking his head in the direction of the other pair. “Trip, get us up in the air.”

As everyone rearranged to get into the Quinjet, Skye backed against the wall to stay out of the way. She saw an opportunity to move in and grabbed an emergency blanket from the kit stowed near the hatch. She sat next to where Monroe was strapped into a jumpseat and helped spread it over him. He looked over and gave her a weak smile in thanks. The engines roared and she strapped herself in just before the sensation of being jerked away from the earth threw her back in her seat. She shouted over the noise, “What happened?”

“Get away wasn’t as clean as we thought,” Monroe answered, barely audible. “I caught a bullet laying down cover, but I’ll be fine.” He grimaced, and Skye helped him hold the bandage to his shoulder. “It’s not that bad.”

She rolled her eyes and grumbled, “Is it some specialist rule that you guys have to ignore pain?” No one heard her, though, which was probably a good thing. Soon the engines quieted as they shifted into horizontal flight, and she could call to the guys across the hold sitting with the prisoner. “So what are we doing with him now?”

“Taking him to the Hub,” Perry answered. “Dan can get treatment, and we can get everything we need from this guy.” He kicked at the guy’s shin. 

“The hub?” Skye asked. “What’s the hub?”

————————

Re-entering the Bus, Ward shook his head when Fitz ran ahead to start packing up a bag, mumbling to himself as he went. “Oh, yeah, this is gonna be great.”

May looked at him with a hint of sympathy. “Just try to stay out of trouble and you’ll be fine.”

“I don’t think I’m the one you need to be warning about trouble.” He tipped his head toward the lab where his teammate was piling gadgets onto the holotable. “Hey, Fitz! We’re only taking what we can carry.”

“Right! Right.” Fitz placed his hands on his hips and turned to the side. “I guess the dwarves would be a bit much.”

Ward rolled his eyes and climbed the stairs to the upper deck. His own bag, tucked under his bunk, was already pre-packed; he just needed to check the gear and the weapons. He also wanted to go back over the files again, particularly the schematics of the facility they were breaking into. It was going to be tight, making it to the extraction point after setting off the beacon; they couldn’t afford to take a wrong turn. And something about this mission just set his teeth on edge. He wanted to pass it off as annoyance at babysitting Fitz - there was a _reason_ agents had to be certified to go into the field. And he couldn’t identify anything wrong in the briefing packet spread out on his bed - everything seemed covered, and they were provided with anything they could need. Still…

Coulson’s knock on the open door frame interrupted his third review of the materials. “I just wanted to see if you need anything.”

“No, sir.” Ward lifted his pack. “Got everything I need right here, all I need now is Fitz.”

“I know he wouldn’t be your first choice of a partner in the field.”

“I don’t choose the missions, sir. I just get them done.”

Coulson stepped inside the bunk area and closed the door. Ward shifted on his bunk, uncomfortable with the close quarters. “He’s going to need you to take care of him out there. Fitz is brilliant, but -“

“He’s not exactly cut out for the field. I know.” Ward nodded. “I promise I’ll get him through the mission and back home.”

“Good,” Coulson gave him a tight smile, then left the bunk area. “You’ve got an hour before departure,” he called over his shoulder.

Ward shook his head and looked back down at the files. There wasn’t anything there he hadn’t already gone over at least three times; and no plan survived the field anyway. He closed up the folder and set it aside, then pulled out his phone. He’d be leaving it here on the Bus, they weren’t taking any comms equipment with them on this one. So he pulled up the SMS app and typed out a quick message to Skye for Garrett. _Going dark 48 hours._

The response was almost instantaneous. _Call me when you get back?_

_Absolutely._ He chuckled at the winking text face she sent back, then turned off the phone and set it in the bedside drawer. Ward needed to go and make sure his mission partner wasn’t trying to carry more than his own body weight in equipment.

————————

The Hub was _amazing_. Skye knew she was gawking like a tourist, but she couldn’t help it. Somehow she’d never quite realized SHIELD was _so big_. Sure, they’d been to the office in Atlanta several times, and she’d been to the LA field office. But while those were more like regular office buildings, this was a super sci-fi _base of operations_ , with its own aircraft hangers, engineering centers, hospital wing, even its own mini shopping mall. Everything shone with chrome and glass, some of which she could see through to banks of monitors and laboratories, others covered with translucent film to hide those inside. 

Perry had left her in a corridor with a coffee bar and gift shop while the rest of the team split off - Monroe had been hurried off to the hospital wing almost as soon as they touched down, Garrett and Trip escorted their prisoner somewhere - a prison cell, maybe, or an interrogation room - and Perry returned to the hanger to handle the paperwork for the jet. Skye had no idea where Dumont disappeared to, though she wouldn’t be surprised if he’d slithered into the sewers or something. So Skye ordered herself a latte and split her time waiting between people-watching and browsing the gift shop full of novelty items emblazoned with the SHIELD stylized eagle. For a clandestine operation, they sure did like flashing around their logo.

“Those glow in the dark keychains are a lot of fun at parties.” 

Skye jumped at Trip’s voice so close behind her shoulder, and she playfully shoved at him as she spun around. “Would have thought it would spoil the cloak and dagger effect,” she snarked back.

He just grinned at her. “C’mon, girl, a spy’s gotta come out of the shadows once in a while.” He motioned over his shoulder with his thumb. “Garrett’s waiting outside. Said he has something for you to work on while we’re questioning our guy about Quinn.”

Skye gave the cashier a cheery wave on their way out, prompting Garrett to roll his eyes at her though he chose not to comment. “Need you to pull up some records to back up whatever we get from this guy.” He motioned for them to follow and started walking them down the corridor. “We’ll get you set up in a computer lab.”

“What kind of records?”

“Mostly transactional records, and I want you to go back through the communications records that tipped us to this guy in the first place. See if you can find anything that’ll give us some leverage.” He swiped his card against a keypad, then held out his hand to Skye. “Here, I’ll program your card to let you through here.”

“Thanks.” Skye lifted the lanyard over her head and handed it to him with the card dangling from the end. “Wouldn’t want to end up locked in someplace.”

“Just don’t go wandering too far, or that’ll be exactly what happens.” Skye and Trip followed Garrett though another hallway, this one full of agents hurrying from one place to the next, most of them with their noses buried in a file or fingers tapping on a handheld tablet. Garrett greeted several of them with hearty hellos, nearly all followed up by a momentary pause as he asked about the person’s family, or how they healed up after some past mission, or if they still had “that damned dog.” It gave off the impression that he was friends with everyone they came across. Inwardly, Skye stored that information away to think about later - it was yet another weird puzzle piece that didn’t really seem to fit her early impressions of the man.

“Here we go,” Garrett announced, stopping at an open door. “Trip, you head on back and make sure they’ve got our equipment ready to go. I’m just going to make sure Skye gets started here.”

“Yes, sir,” Trip responded, spinning around almost smartly as he departed. He melted seamlessly into the crowd.

“C’mon, there’s a terminal in the back you can use.” Skye followed him around several large lab countertops to a semi-secluded computer station in the back corner. “Lab’s not scheduled to be used tonight, so you should have some privacy. Now, I need those files we were talking about, but there are a few other things, too.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and slid it to her on the desktop. “Access code is X3173; it’ll give you access to the Level 8 files.”

Skye scanned over the list. “Some of these could take a while to track down without the specific filenames. Can some of this wait until morning?”

“Don’t know when we’ll get done here and move on, so it’s gotta be done now.” Garrett leaned in a little closer, sharing confidentially, “That code’ll also give you access to the redacted files index.” She looked up from the list in surprise, her heart lodged in her throat. “I’m sure you can think of a few things to look up there.” She nodded, then jumped a bit as he clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Just make sure you get your work done first, then you can do your own research. Good luck.”

He left the room whistling a jaunty little tune, but Skye ignored him as she booted up the terminal. She read through the list again - it was long, and there were definitely some vague requests, but a few of them had specific identifiers. Like “B-C-Y307604 - Death and Recovery Report, Coulson.” And she could be running searches for some of the others in the background, speeding up the process.

Whatever it took, it was worth it. Because she was finally going to get a look at what was really in her file.


	2. Chapter 2

Skye rolled her head, trying to loosen the knots in her shoulders as she took note of the clock - it was after two in the morning. It had taken several hours, but she’d pulled together most of the files Garrett had asked her for. Some she stole a few minutes to peek through herself, Mike Peterson’s record for instance. She was pleased to see his condition was stabilized and he was training with SHIELD to control the incredible strength he’d been granted. Seemed that his son, Ace, was also doing well living with his aunt for the moment. She hoped Mike would be cleared to visit soon; she knew all too well the feeling of being abandoned, and wouldn’t wish that on Ace for anything.

Surprisingly, the file that gave her the most trouble was the report on Coulson. The security on it had been increased, and she couldn’t find a way through the system that wouldn’t set off some kind of an alert. Much as it would probably infuriate Garrett, she just didn’t see any way to get the file with the credentials he’d given to her.

Deciding that at the very least she needed a break from that particular task, Skye started looking for the redacted files. Her heart started racing despite the late hour when she finally found the report that had led her to SHIELD so long ago. She took a deep breath and offered up a silent prayer that she’d _finally_ have some answers, and clicked the link to open up the larger file. 

Several dozen files opened up on her screen, one overlapping another but too fast for her to process what she was seeing. 

Then the door to the computer lab swung open. Panicked, Skye quickly brought up a document to fill her screen and hide her search. The woman coming in didn’t even notice; she was thoroughly engrossed in her reading on a handheld tablet and she only absently pulled out a chair to sit in. Skye waited in vain to be noticed. The woman seemed incredibly young to be working at SHIELD, hardly older than a college student with her hair in soft curls and wearing a sweater vest of all things. (Okay, the lab was a bit chilly, but still, a _sweater vest?_ ) But Skye could easily see the badge worn on her chest with the marked clearance level.

Finally running out of patience, Skye cleared her throat. The woman started and looked around until her eyes landed on the only other occupent in the room, who smiled and gave her a little wave. “What up?” Skye greeted her.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” the woman cried with a distinct British accent. “I didn’t think the room would be occupied at this hour!” She scrambled out of the chair rather ungracefully. “We came in from another time zone and my circadian rhythm is disrupted so I couldn’t sleep and I thought maybe if I found someplace quiet I could just catch up on reading some journals I haven’t had time for, but I didn’t meant to bother anyone, I’ll just go find another room -“

Skye just stared with her mouth hanging open at the stream of words washing over her. Part of her wanted to reassure the woman that it was fine, she hadn’t been a bother, but her screen winking at her reminded her that it really _was_ a problem to have someone else in there with her right now. So Skye just watched her inadvertent companion make her way to the door, apologizing as she went.

The door had almost closed when suddenly it swung back open, the woman poking her head around and looking quizzically at her. “Wait, don’t I know you?”

“Uh, no, I really don’t think so.”

“No, I know I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

Skye fought down a surge of fear as the woman reentered the room and examined her more carefully. “It’s really unlikely. I’ve not been with SHIELD for long and I _know_ I haven’t -“

“Skye!” The woman finally pronounced happily, causing said person to freeze in her seat. “I’ve seen your picture, you’re Ward’s girlfriend!”

Relief washed over Skye as she realized her cover was safe. “Uh, yeah, that’s me.”

The odd woman came around the lab to offer her hand in greeting. “I’m on Ward’s team, I’m Jemma Simmons.”

“OH!” Skye smiled as they shook hands, fighting to stay natural. “Of the famous FitzSimmons?”

Simmons laughed. “Yes, Fitz is my lab partner. I’m surprised Ward’s said anything at all about us. Unless it’s to complain?”

“No! Well, a little bit, yes,” Skye admitted, “but less than about most people, which says something.”

Simmons grinned and pulled out the chair next to Skye. “Well this is a nice surprise! It’s just too bad that Ward’s not here right now, I’m sure he’d love to have seen you.”

“Oh, he’s not here with you?” Skye asked. It wasn’t very difficult to sound like the disappointed girlfriend she was meant to be; she really _would_ have liked to see Ward face-to-face for a change.

“No, he and Fitz are out on a mission while the rest of us stay here for now. Very hush hush,” Simmons confided, leaning forward. “But they should be back by the end of today, hopefully sooner if all goes well. Will you still be here?”

“I don’t know,” Skye admitted. “We came in to get medical treatment for Dan, and I haven’t heard how that’s going.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” And Simmons genuinely looked worried for the man who was a stranger to her. Skye could certainly see why the woman wasn’t field certified; she couldn’t hide her feelings to save her own life. “Was it serious?”

“He was shot in the shoulder. He _claims_ it’s not a big deal, but then he’s a specialist…”

Simmons was already nodding along in agreement. “Oh, they’re _terrible_ about taking care of themselves. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve had to practically drag Ward into the lab to let me take care of him after a mission -“

It soon became clear that Simmons wasn’t going anywhere, but Skye couldn’t bring herself to be bothered by it. She was genuinely _nice_ , and it was refreshing to just talk with another woman for a while about some of the insanity they’d found while working in SHIELD. So she just smiled and relaxed as Simmons started telling stories about life on the airplane they called “the Bus.”

————————————————

In another part of the world, Ward helped Fitz out of the mag pouch they had used to hitch a ride underneath a truck and get into the target compound. Despite his care, Fitz landed with a heavy _thump_ on the concrete. “ _Shhh!”_

 _“I know, I know,_ ” Fitz whispered as he brushed himself off in annoyance. Ward clamped a hand over his mouth and made an exaggerated frown to signal his displeasure at the noise. Fitz grimaced, but nodded in acknowledgement. 

Ward positioned himself between the truck wheels, still far enough under the truck to be hidden but giving him a view of the parking area beyond. They were in luck, on the edge closest to their entry point for the building. He watched carefully as a pair of guards walked past and then turned a corner, then checked that no one else was in view. “ _Okay. Go. Go. Go.”_

He rolled out and quickly got to his feet. Ward was pleased to see that Fitz had also rolled out as he was coached, instead of attempting a crawl, though he had a little trouble getting up as quickly as needed. Ward reached down to help, then ushered him to the building.

“I’ll signal extraction.”

“Okay,” Fitz responded, then pulled off his pack and rummaged inside for something.

Ward shifted so he could still watch Fitz from the corner of his eye while signaling, and then pulled out his flashlight. He sent the signal in the direction of the hill for their extraction team, then waited. When he saw no response, he tried the signal again, his stomach sinking. They should have seen it right away and signaled back their readiness.

They weren’t there. Somehow, the extraction team hadn’t made it.

Ward checked his watch, noting the time. He let Fitz’s technobabble wash over him as he calculated the time they had left, and realized there was nothing else for it. They couldn’t delay their own mission to wait for the extraction team. They may not even have as much time as he’d originally planned - after all, if the extraction team had been captured, the enemy might already be on alert for more infiltrators. He’d just have to find another way to get Fitz out with the device… which would most likely mean staying behind and sacrificing himself as a distraction to delay the enemy until SHIELD bombed the facility right on top of him. 

His stomach twisted at the thought. It wasn’t the idea of his own death that bothered him; that shadow had clung to him for years now, and he was familiar with it. No, what bothered him was that he’d be leaving John hanging. He depended on Ward to help him so much - to find the answers they needed in SHIELD, to repair the Deathlok cybernetic systems keeping him alive, to protect his secrets. The mission that mattered most, the _only_ mission that Ward truly cared about, was saving John. And now, he was going to fail that mission.

This all rushed through his head in moments, and then he caught sight of two guards approaching. They disappeared from sight, and Ward saw them enter another door that would lead to the area he and Fitz needed to access. He pulled himself together, reminding himself that while he may be about to fail his biggest mission, he still had another one here and now - get Fitz and the device out safely. If he couldn’t manage both, he could at least succeed at one of them.

He slipped around the corner and followed the guards inside.

————————————————

Skye surreptitiously checked the clock on her computer as Simmons yawned, and was shocked to see they’d been talking for nearly two hours. It was now more of a very early morning than a late night, and she knew Garrett would be looking for his files soon. 

“I wonder what time it is for Fitz,” Simmons mused. “He has a more difficult time with jet lag than I do, it doesn’t only mess with his sleep but also his appetite. He’s hypoglycemic, needs to have his meals on a regular schedule.”

“I still can’t believe they wouldn’t even tell you where they were going,” Skye said as she shook her head. “Sure, I can understand not saying what they were doing, but not even where?”

Simmons shrugged. “Well, that’s just the way SHIELD works. Information is compartmentalized to protect it. Of course, our team leader knows where they went, and Agent May, but they couldn’t tell me because I only have a Level 5 clearance and the mission is classified Level 7. I’m sure Fitz will tell me as much as he can once he gets back, though.” She yawned again. “Oh, my, I’m getting sleepy now. I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t keep you from your work too long.”

“Not really,” Skye reassured her. “I was nearly done anyway, and the rest I can work on elsewhere. I just need to finish up one or two things.”

“Well, I’m off to bed I think.” Simmons stood and smiled shyly. “It was really nice talking with you. Maybe if you’re still here later today, we can meet up over coffee? I do hope you’re here long enough to see the boys when they get back, it would be a shame for you to miss them.”

Skye held back a laugh. “Yeah, if I missed coffee with Ward I’d get an earful over it.” At Simmons’s curious look, she just waved a hand. “Sorry, inside joke. I’ll track you down if we stay here long enough.”

“All right. Well, good night, Skye. Or, really, good morning.”

“Bye, Simmons.” Skye watched Simmons leave the lab, then turned back to her computer. She was dying to start going through the files she’d opened up two hours before, but knew she was too tired to properly process what she might find. So instead, she saved them all to a flash drive and then tucked it securely in her bra. Before she closed the browser, though, she thought back to what Simmons had been saying about compartmentalization, and that Ward’s mission was classified Level 7.

Well, Skye had a Level 8 clearance code in hand at the moment. So what was stopping her from taking a little peek?

Without any qualms, Skye opened up the file for active missions and scrolled through until she found the one for Ward and Fitz. _South Ossetia._ It took her a few moments to recall a story Ward had told her about going undercover with the separatists in that region. The mission hadn’t been an easy one and his extraction had been a bit of a mess; she felt a bit of worry that he’d been sent back in without a solid cover. But she knew Ward could handle himself. Then she took another look at the mission data.

“Oh my god,” she said aloud to the empty room. “No extraction planned?”

Any sleepiness she felt was instantly expelled by a rush of adrenaline. She quickly shut down the computer and ran from the room.

She needed to find Garrett.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the extreme delay in updating! This past year has been difficult with work and family, and I was really trying to update Truce before letting myself play with the Coffee verse again. But this one finally won out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye and Garrett to the rescue!

Ward stared in dismay at the complicated, and aptly named, “Overkill” device found in the base he’d infiltrated with Fitz. The configuration of metal pipes and parts matched the intel they’d been given, but on a _much_ larger scale. How were they supposed to be extracting _this?_

He followed Fitz as they approached it and watched as the younger man examined the machine. “Weird,” Fitz commented, tapping on the metal and listening to the echo. “The core must be inside here, _that’s_ what’s important. The piping around it just serves to amplify and direct the sound to trigger munitions from a distance.”

Ward ran a skeptical eye over the set up. “It doesn’t look like it could take a jet out of the sky.”

“Well, you should know by now, Agent Ward, that looks can be deceiving.” Fitz grinned at him cheekily, then pulled out some tools to unscrew the bolts. Ward helped him pull off the heavy cap and set it aside while Fitz examined the inner workings of the device. The Scot heaved a heavy sigh, slightly shaking his head. “This is gonna take a while.”

“You have ten minutes,” Ward told him.

“I thought you’d say five.”

Ward gritted his teeth and refrained from smacking the man.

—————

Skye ran through the halls of the Hub, surprised by the number of people up and about. It was still before dawn, yet she was surrounded by agents in tactical gear and transporting weapons and equipment. She heard someone mention Ossetia, and her unease deepened. When she finally found Garrett, she couldn’t help shouting his name and sprinting as fast as she could. She might have laughed at the befuddled anger on his face if it she wasn’t as focused on her task. Upon reaching him, she tugged at his sleeve to pull him away from the short, bald agent he was speaking with. “Garrett, I need to talk to you.”

“Skye, I was in the middle of -“

“ _Now._ ”

Taken aback, Garrett followed her to a corner that gave them a bit of privacy. “What happened? Did someone find you in the lab?”

“Yes, but that’s not the problem. It’s Ward.”

Garrett narrowed his eyes and leaned in. “What about Ward?”

“He’s in trouble. He’s out on a dangerous mission and SHIELD isn’t sending an extraction team.” Skye held up a hand to stop Garrett from speaking. “I know, he’s a specialist and probably could handle it. But he’s expecting a team there and he won’t have one.”

“How the hell do you know any of this, Skye?”

She winced. “Well, I took a peek at the active missions after a teammate of his said he was out in the field.” Her grimace deepened as Garrett gripped her shoulder painfully; she could already see the reprimand. “I know, it was a stupid chance to take and maybe I shouldn’t have done it, but we know now, and we can’t just _leave_ him there!”

She held her breath, trying to puzzle out what was going on in Garrett’s head. But aside from a slight frown, he gave her no clues. So she pushed. “We’re going to back him up, right? You’re not going to leave him stranded like you were!”

Garrett’s lips thinned in a grimace, and then it was like a light switch thrown; suddenly, the older man was completely on board with her. “Of course not. Just let me finish this with Sitwell and we’ll get out of here. Call Trip - we’ll need a second pilot for the jet.”

Skye sighed in relief as Garrett turned around, then she pulled out her phone and hit speed dial 3. “Trip, it’s Skye. Meet us in the hanger - we’ve got a mission.”

—————

Ward checked his watch again and fought down the anxiety clawing at his chest. He was going to need to give Fitz time to clear the building before they disconnected the device and set off the beacon - the moment SHIELD forces hit the radar, the separatists would know there was trouble and come looking for why their “super weapon” wasn’t working. “All right. Show me the final steps to disable this thing. I’ll get it done.”

Fitz didn’t even pause in his work. “No, we stick to the extraction plan, I’ll be done in a minute.”

Ward shook his head in disagreement. “Extraction plan’s a bust.”

 _That_ caught Fitz’s attention. “What?”

“Exfil team didn’t make contact,” he explained. “Once you take that thing apart and I set off that remote beacon, we’re on our own.” Fitz still didn’t seem to process this, so Ward spelled it out. “You should go. Now.”

Fitz just shook his head and turned back to his work, saying quietly, “I’m not leaving.”

“Fitz, there’s no time to argue.” Ward grabbed at his shoulder in frustration, but Fitz shook him off. In his surprise, Ward let go.

“You think I can’t handle this?” 

“No,” Ward said. “I am trying to protect you.” 

Fitz turned around in indignation. “Ah, you think I’m a coward, is that it?” 

“What?” Ward was taken aback at the stern look on the younger man’s face. “No.” 

“I am _every bit_ the SHIELD agent you are.”

“Whoa, whoa.” _Is that what this is about?_ Ward held up his hands in a defensive gesture. “You don’t have anything to prove. What you said about me always needing to swoop in? I know you would have jumped out of the plane to save Simmons. She knows that, too.”

“I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone.” Fitz took a breath, standing tall before Ward on the step up to the machine. “Y’know, before we left, you’re not the only one Coulson talked to, okay? He told me to take care of you, too. And that’s _exactly_ what I’m gonna do. I’m not going anywhere. You understand?”

Ward stared at him in surprise, then slowly nodded.

“And I’m bloody starvin’.”

Fitz turned back to his work, and Ward just stepped back, stunned. It had never occurred to him that Fitz would _want_ to stay by his side when things went bad. The man wasn’t field certified, didn’t know the first thing about self-defense, didn’t even seem to _like_ Ward. There was no benefit to staying to fight. And yet, he still refused to leave Ward behind.

This was going to require a new plan.

—————

Skye sat in the passenger seat of the quinjet that Garrett somehow got his hands on, watching the clouds stream by as they rushed to their destination. She’d shoved her hands under her legs to stop herself from biting her nails. Trip didn’t know this was an unauthorized mission - they’d told him they were ordered to backup Ward after an extraction team ran into trouble. They had only a small window of time to get in and out before the SHIELD bombers hit the site, making their rescue a moot point.

“Coming up on the coordinates,” Trip announced smoothly, dropping them in altitude. “You on the guns?” he asked Garrett.

“Nah,” the older man leaned forward in the copilot seat and took the controls in hand. “You go ahead and take them. Just don’t shoot our boys down there.”

Skye’s heart stopped - was that a real possibility? Then she saw the smirk on Trip’s face and the twinkle in Garrett’s eyes. She rolled her own. “Ha ha, guys, very funny.”

“Tighten your straps, sweetheart,” Garrett ordered. “We’ll be going in hot.”

Skye obediently checked her buckles, but couldn’t help still leaning forward to see out the cockpit. A large building, what almost looked like an airplane hanger, came into view below. Another moment, and she could see vehicles and people rushing about. Garrett swerved around incoming antiaircraft fire, and she instinctively grabbed the back of his seat as she shouted in surprise. Another swerve, and then it was the jet shooting at a vehicle with what looked like a cannon fixed onto the back of it. Trip _whooped_ as it exploded below, and the jet circled around the building. Off to the side, they saw another explosion.

“Only one guess who caused _that!_ ” Garrett said jovially, then swung the plane in that direction. He switched over to hover mode as they approached, bringing them close enough that Skye could see Ward on the tarmac with another man facing a line of soldiers bringing up their weapons. Trip fired on the soldiers, scattering them, but a moment later they saw several of them dropping their weapons with a shout.

“Skye, open the hatch!”

She quickly unbuckled and jumped up from her seat, rushed to the back hatch and palmed the controls. As it dropped open, she grabbed the collapsible ladder and secured it to the controls in the deck, then rolled it out down the ramp. By now, she could see the people below them. “Ward!” she shouted over the noise of their engines. “Grab on!”

If he was surprised to see her, he didn’t show it. Instead, he helped the other man get a grip on the ladder and then grabbed onto the other side himself, giving Skye a thumbs up. “We’ve got them!” she shouted to the pilots, then turned on the pulley gears to start bringing in the ladder. It swung alarmingly as the jet pulled away and into the air, and she could hear the man with Ward shouting. She watched as Ward gripped his partner tightly to keep him secure; as soon as they were close enough she reached out a hand to help pull them aboard, Ward’s teammate first. The sound of a loud explosion filled the air, and Skye scuttled backwards away from the ramp in shock, watching as the facility they’d just left behind became a giant fireball. She barely noticed Ward reaching over to close the hatch, but suddenly the cabin was quiet.

“Are you okay?” Ward asked her.

She just choked on a laugh and flung herself at him, holding on tight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it said 3 chapters, but it's going up to 4. We'll see how quickly I get that one done, but it's nice to have the end of the fic in sight!


End file.
